Weft detector for drop box looms



g- 4, 1931- s. A. NELSON 1,817,164

WEFT DETECTOR FOR DROP BOX LOOMS Filed April 23, 1930 3o aa IVL/E/VTUR jA/VUEL AJVEL 50/v wtwkr Patented Aug. 4, 1931 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAMUEL A. NELSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON & KNOVILES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS WEFT DETECTOR FOB DROP BOX LOOMS Application filed April 23, 1930. Serial No. 446,706.

This invention relates to devices used to a slide 12 mounted for forward and reardetermine substantial exhaustion of weft in ward movement in a casing or stand 14. The the shuttles of a weft replenishing drop boX stand 14 is secured to a bracket 15, which loom. in turn is mounted on the loom side 16. The

In such looms the detecting action is somerear end of the feeler engages the weft times designed to occur during the rising or on a bobbin B in a shuttle S and upon subfalling movement of the drop boxes. Durstantial exhaustion of weftthe feeler 1O ing such movement of the boxes, the shuttle swings to the right or outward in the loom, being indicated may be moved inward or toas indicated in Fig. 2.

ward the center of the loom by the cam ac- Spring plungers 20 and 21 are mounted tion of the shuttle point against the conical to slide transversely in the front end porwall of the recess in the picker as the shuttle tion of the stand 14 and are yieldingly is moved upward or downward. pressed toward the feeler 10 by coil springs The usual side slip feeler or weft detector 22 and 23. Inward movement of the plung- 15 is movable along the bobbin in a single diers is limited by pins 24, so that the feeler rection only. lVhen this side slipping mo- 10 may slide freely between the points of tion is outward or toward the loom picker, the plungers. the cam action of the picker on the shuttle The plunger 20 actuates an arm 30 (Fig. point produces relative movement between 4) pivoted at 31 and having a counterweight go the end of the feeler and the weft on the portion 32 (Fig. 2) by which the arm is bobbin. As such movement occurs repeatedpressed yieldingly against the plunger 20. ly, wear of the weft threads is occasioned and When the arm 30 is swung to the left, as weft breakage is substantially increased. shown in Fig. 2, the upper end of the arm is It is the object of my invention to prevent interposed in the path of movement of an 25 such action of the feeler on the weft by proactuator 34 which then gives an indication of viding a construction which permits the weft exhaustion in the usual manner. feeler to yield in the direction of the cam In Figs. 1 and 2 I have provided means action or toward. the center of the loom, as for yieldingly pressing the slide 12 rearward well as to yield in the opposite direction to which comprises a slotted lever 40 pivoted 39 indicate weft exhaustion. at 41 on the stand 14 and engaging a stud My invention further relates to arrange- 42 (Fig. 5) in the slide 12. A spring 44 is ments and combinations of parts which will connected at one end to the stand 14 and at be hereinafter described and more particuthe other end to the lever 40 and acts to yieldlarly pointed out in the appended claims. ingly move the slide 12 to its rearward po- A preferred form of the invention is shown sition. in the drawings, in which In Fig. 3 I have indicated a modified Fig. 1 is a plan view of a weft detector construction in which the lever 40 and spring embodying my improvements; 44 are replaced by two springs 50 which act Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the to draw the slide 12 yieldingly rearward.

40 parts in a different position; In the latter construction, it will be noted no Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a modithat the tension of the springs 50 is lighter fied construction; when the feeler 10 is in its rearward posi- Fig. 4 is a front elevation of my improved tion and that the tension gradually increases mechanism; as the feeler and feeler slide are moved for- 45 Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation thereof; Ward. Furthermore, it will be noted that J5 and the tension is at all times equally applied at 6 is a diagrammatic view, illustratthe two sides of the slide 12 thus preventing ing the cam action of the picker. any tendency to cramp the slide in its guide- Referring to the drawings, I have shown ways. 5-3 a weft detector or feeler 10 pivoted at 11 to Reference to Fig. 6 will make clear the op- 10o eration and advantages of my improved construction. When the shuttle S is boxed, the point of the shuttle is commonly seated in the conical recess in the face of the picker P. If the boxes rise or fall while the picker remainsstationary, the picker exerts a cam action on the point of the shuttle, which is moved inward or toward the center of the loom to a position indicated diag rainmatical-v m ly in dottedlines at S. I e

c The normal side-slipping action of the feeler 10 is in the direction of the arrow at in Fig. 6 or in other words is outward or toward the picker P. Such action'does not accommodate itself to the'inward cam-pro- .ducedmovement of the shuttle S and without my improvements the feeler 10 would be dragged along the bobbin in contact with the Weft, which action frequently repeated-would n; occasion objectionable wear on the V weft threads. I

With my improvements, however, the supplementary plunger 21 yields as the shuttle is moved from the full line to the dotted line position in Fig. 6, permitting the feeler to swing with the shuttle'and the objectionable I wear of the weft threads is thus avoided. EX-

cept when this yielding action occurs, the plunger 21 remains in its inward position and acts in effect as a fixed guide for the front end of the feeler 10. I

The terms inward and outwardas used in the claims refer to movement toward or away from the center of the lay.

11.3 Havin thus described 111 invention and the advantagesthereof,.I do, not wish to be limited to the detailsherein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is 1o 1. In a weft replenishing drop box loom,

a side slipping weft feel er, and guiding means for said feeler permitting yielding movementthereof in either of two directions along the bobbin, said guiding means comprising a pair of spring-actuated plungers normally positioned closely adjacent the op posite side edges of the front end portion of said weft feeler. 7

2. In a weft replenishing drop box loom, a weft feeler having an indicating sideslipping movement in one direction, and anormaly fixed guide for saidfeeler yieldable to permit, anidle movement ofthe weftengaging end of the feeler in the opposite direction from said indicating movement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature. V

' SAMUEL A. NELSON; 

